WPC

The abbreviation stands for Wood-Plastic-Composite. WPC are processable composite materials that are made from different proportions of wood - typically wood flour -, plastics and additives. It is often used as a decking board and is intended to look like solid wooden floorboards.

Too hot in summer

WPC does not splinter and is easy to clean. The disadvantages are: in the summer, WPC heats up very much in direct sunlight, so that you can hardly step onto the terrace. When a WPC deck has to be dismantled, the WPC decking becomes hazardous waste that is costly to dispose of.

Some manufacturers give guarantees of up to 20 or 25 years. Precise studies to assess the service life outdoors have not yet been carried out. The quality of the WPC mix of plastic and wood appears to be critical to longevity.

WPC planks with hollow profiles have a significantly lower durability, as they suffer greatly from UV exposure and weather influences such as moisture and temperature fluctuations. The plastics from which the material was made play a decisive role in the ecological assessment of WPC. It is better if recycled plastics are used.